The Neuroscience of Surprise and How it Improves Learning
Imagine this: You’re sitting in a classroom, eyes fixed on the clock, praying for the seconds to tick down to break time. The teacher enters, wearing an expression that could rival a lemon, and begins a boring math lecture. Suddenly, the unexpected occurs — a Barney mascot swings into the class, juggling flaming torches! Okay, maybe not in a traditional classroom, but that element of surprise, my friend, has the power to light up students’ brains like fireworks displayed over the Ghanaian Independence Square. Welcome to the captivating world of the neuroscience of surprise and its astounding impact on learning.
This article explores the essence of surprise as a classroom enrichment activity and provides some guidelines for teachers incorporating surprise in lessons. Now, let’s take a dive into the proven benefits of surprise in classroom instruction.
Firstly, here’s how surprise works on the brain.
Research has revealed that the brain’s response to surprises is a meticulously orchestrated process with profound implications for learning. According to a study by Kouider et al. (2011), unexpected events trigger rapid neural activation, particularly in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus regions associated with attention, memory, and learning. Specifically, dopamine is released when pleasant surprises are experienced. This organic chemical, often referred to as the brain’s “feel-good” neurotransmitter, plays a significant role in the learning-enhancing effects of surprise. As noted by Wittmann et al. (2019), dopamine reinforces neural connections related to reward and memory, facilitating the encoding and consolidation of new information. Therefore, any boost in dopamine levels amplifies our cognitive processes, improving memory retention and overall learning outcomes.
Also, surprise ignites curiosity and engagement in students.
By activating various regions of the brain, surprise serves as a catalyst for curiosity and engagement, and contributes to optimizing any learning experiences. In a study by Gruber et al. (2014), unexpected events activate the brain’s reward circuitry, including the ventral striatum, which releases dopamine and fosters a sense of pleasure and curiosity. The ventral striatum is like a reward centre in your brain. It helps you remember and enjoy the things that make you happy. It’s also involved in learning and remembering new things. So, when you learn something fun or exciting, like a new game or a cool fact, the ventral striatum helps you remember it and feel really happy about it. This increased curiosity drives individuals to actively seek out and explore new information, thereby enhancing their learning experience.
By integrating surprises strategically into educational practices, teachers can tap into these neuroscientific benefits. According to Ranganath and Rainer (2003), surprising elements, such as surprising facts, unusual examples, or unexpected activities, capture students’ attention and stimulate their curiosity, leading to improved focus, information retention, and long-term knowledge consolidation.
Similarly, a Johns Hopkins article, “The Element of Surprise Helps Babies Learn Significantly Better,” points to a phenomenon that impacts all ages. The study, conducted by cognitive psychologists Aimee E. Stahl and Lisa Feigenson at Johns Hopkins University, found that infants learn best when their expectations are defied. The researchers demonstrated that babies leverage their innate knowledge about the world to form predictions, and when these predictions are proven wrong, infants use this opportunity for learning. The study involved experiments with pre-verbal 11-month-old babies and showed that when infants encountered surprising objects that defied their expectations, they learned significantly better compared to predictable objects. The babies also exhibited a preference for exploring and seeking explanations for the surprising objects’ behaviour, indicating a deeper attempt to understand their environment.
Here are some guidelines for incorporating surprises in your instructional approach.
As earlier pointed out, surprise can be a powerful tool for increasing engagement and improving learning outcomes in the classroom, and there are various strategies and techniques that educators can use to incorporate surprise into their instructional approach. These may include but are not limited to, inviting a guest speaker, organizing a surprise field trip, using story-telling, introducing interactive technologies, hands-on experiments, or even gamified lessons to keep students on their toes and spark their desire to explore. You can also employ unexpected challenges, such as thought-provoking puzzles or real-world problem-solving tasks, to stretch students’ minds and encourage critical thinking.
Now, let’s journey into real-life classroom testimonials where surprise is transforming education. In the case of a teacher named Madam Oye Debrah at the Oforikrom M/A JHS “B”’ in Kumasi, Ghana, she gave junior high school students surprise envelopes with intriguing clues to introduce new topics in social studies, turning each lesson into a thrilling adventure for her students. The outcome was heightened curiosity, active participation, and deeper understanding. The element of surprise not only increased their motivation to study but also improved their long-term retention of the material.
Are you ready to unleash the power of surprise in your classroom?
Here are some tips to guide you on your journey.
- Plan strategically: Identify key moments in your curriculum where surprises can make the most impact. Be intentional and align surprises with your learning objectives.
- Be creative. Embrace your inner magician! Think outside the box and surprise your students with unexpected props, visuals, or interactive activities that ignite their imagination.
- Balance predictability and surprise: While surprises are exciting, ensure a sense of structure and routine in your classroom. Find the perfect balance to keep students engaged without overwhelming them. Observe how your students respond to surprises and adjust your approach accordingly. Every class is unique, so be flexible, experiment and observe their reactions.
Do remember, surprise holds incredible potential to revolutionize the learning process, and incorporating surprise into any lesson can be both refreshing and awakening. We hope you enjoyed uncovering the science behind surprise and how it can play a role in teaching and learning.
Now that you are armed with this knowledge, it’s time to take action. We encourage educators and learners alike to embrace the element of surprise in their teaching and learning practices. Experiment with innovative strategies that introduce unexpected events, novelty, and challenges to captivate minds and create a dynamic learning atmosphere. Infuse your lessons with surprises that ignite excitement, foster active participation, and leave lasting impressions.
“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.” William Butler Yeats
By incorporating surprise into lessons, teachers can ignite students’ interest, make learning more exciting, and create an atmosphere of active engagement.
Go ahead, and think of the surprise element you are going to add to your next lesson.
Learn more @ www.education360gh.com
REFERENCES:
Gruber, M. J., Gelman, B. D., & Ranganath, C. (2014). States of curiosity modulate hippocampus-dependent learning via the dopaminergic circuit. Neuron, 84 (2), 486–496.
https://hub.jhu.edu/2015/04/02/surprise-babies-learning/
Kouider, S., de Gardelle, V., Sackur, J., & Dupoux, E. (2010). How rich is consciousness? The partial awareness hypothesis Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(7), 301–307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.04.006
Ranganath, C., & Rainer, G. (2003). Neural mechanisms for detecting and remembering novel events Nature Reviews. Neuroscience, 4(3), 193–202. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1052
Wittmann, B. C., Schott, B. H., Guderian, S., Frey, J. U., Heinze, H. J., & Düzel, E. (2005). Reward-related FMRI activation of the dopaminergic midbrain is associated with enhanced hippocampus-dependent long-term memory formation. Neuron, 45(3), 459–467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2005.01.010
